I realize that every 22 rifle has ammo it likes and dislikes. Sooner or later 50 yd shooting can get boring so, I think most people will start stretching the range. I have tried many types of ammo mostly subsonics and there are sooooo many more. I shoot a Savage Mark II, a Tikka T1X in a KRG Bravo chassis, and Bergara B14 steel. One ammo that keeps performing well at 100-200 yds is SK rifle match in all three rifles. What type or types of ammo have worked well for you at these distances?
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200 yard shooting
- Thread starter dhom
- Start date
What my rifles like are cartridges with tight muzzle velocities
along with few production defects. Best results at 200 yards
come from European made 22lr and different boxes of 17 hmr and 17 wsm.
What the rifles liked wasn't brand, but rather the quality of the cartridges.
Compare my results for y'erself
www.rimfirecentral.com
That internet fable of "ya' have to find the brand y'er rifle likes" is bs.
I've tried them all. Brand has nothing to do with it.
Only cartridge quality matters. Not the name on the box.
along with few production defects. Best results at 200 yards
come from European made 22lr and different boxes of 17 hmr and 17 wsm.
What the rifles liked wasn't brand, but rather the quality of the cartridges.
Compare my results for y'erself
50 at 200
I think I've come up with a useful scenario...maybe. :rolleyes: 50 shots at 200 yards, rimfire, whatever setup makes you happy. 22lr, 17 hmr, 22wmr, 17hm2, 17wsm, all brands, all types. Full benchrest setup, bipod, bags or one-piece test rest, it doesn't matter. Grab a chunk of cardboard, about...
www.rimfirecentral.com
That internet fable of "ya' have to find the brand y'er rifle likes" is bs.
I've tried them all. Brand has nothing to do with it.
Only cartridge quality matters. Not the name on the box.
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Subsonic, for sure, and I shoot Lapua Center-X, Eley Team and Match. If you try the different "flavors" of SK, you might find one that groups better than others. It's a balance to find a good shooting ammo brand which does not cost an arm and a leg. Sk Flatnose Match, SK Long Range might be good options to try in addition to the Rifle Match you're using. Some folks shoot SK Pistol Match as well. Lapua and Eley take you into a higher cost model which is primarily ammo that is more consistent from round to round, in my opinion. It's fun to try the different ammo brands on the same day, same distance and shoot 5-shot groups to see which does better in each rifle.
An additional note, wind management becomes key when shooting at 200 yards. You can have the perfect ammo for the rifle you are shooting, and wind will make a difference in your results. Try to pick a morning when the winds are calm to shoot 200 yards. 100 yards also, but not quite as much as 200.
Good luck!
Subsonic for sure
Yep, with 22lr match grade sub-sonic is the the only way to obtain consistent trajectories.
Why? It has nothing to do with supersonic transition, but entirely due to the fact
that all hi-v 22lr is bulk ammunition showing poor handing on the assembly line.
Yep, with 22lr match grade sub-sonic is the the only way to obtain consistent trajectories.
Why? It has nothing to do with supersonic transition, but entirely due to the fact
that all hi-v 22lr is bulk ammunition showing poor handing on the assembly line.
SK Match in my Vudoo, Center X in my RimX. 200 yards and beyond is a lot of fun unless it's windy as hell at the range lol.
I realize that I have to get the chrono out. I usually put the Center X at the top of my "affordable" list. Actually, I just started shooting 22lr about 4 months ago because I wanted a break from reloading. I really haven't shot much .22 except for squirrel hunting since early 80's. As I remember it was fun, simple and inexpensive. [what happened?] OK, so now I am in it and already getting bored with 50 yds. I am going to start stretching the range 100-200 yds. My Savage and Tikka keep going back and forth with Center X some time grouping better than SK RM sometimes just the opposite. The last time I was at the range getting ready to leave I noticed I still had 10 rds of SK RM. There was a target at 200yds so I cranked up the scope and shot 2-5 shot groups. Surprisingly, the first measured 1.6" and the second .832". Do I think I can repeat that, probably not but, it is good to leave the range on a high note!
I'm going to offer a suggestion.
Don't shoot groups.
Shoot for score.
10 shots at 200 yards, best edge scoring.
5 targets per box of cartridges.
Extremely challenging and allows tracking of improvement over time.
Try this target, it'll keep things interesting.
8.5x11 PDF, print actual size, 100%
drive.google.com
Don't shoot groups.
Shoot for score.
10 shots at 200 yards, best edge scoring.
5 targets per box of cartridges.
Extremely challenging and allows tracking of improvement over time.
Try this target, it'll keep things interesting.
8.5x11 PDF, print actual size, 100%
10-200red.pdf
drive.google.com
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Isn't 10 shots on a target a group? You can do both, use the ring scores and measure the width of the extreme shots for a group size measure. Great fun to combine both measures to see which you can improve the most.I'm going to offer a suggestion.
Don't shoot groups.
Shoot for score.
10 shots at 200 yards, best edge scoring.
5 targets per box of cartridges.
Extremely challenging and allows tracking of improvement over time.
Try this target, it'll keep things interesting.
8.5x11 PDF, print actual size, 100%
10-200red.pdf
Shooting for groups = fixed aiming point with focus being on ammo performance
Shooting for score = changing POA based on conditions each shot. Focus be on the performance of the shooter
Each has a clear goal and the results need to be evaluated differently.
@Dthomas3523:
How can you evaluate ammo performance if wind is varying and you do not change the POA? Unless you include wind performance part of ammo performance or only shoot for groups indoors or when dead calm. Perhaps closest to pure ammo performance is at a test center, but then there are issues with the support.
You do it inside or with very low wind days, or days with constant wind.
Exactly the way you would when evaluating a centerfire at 1k yds. You do it on the days that allow for it.
You don’t take your rifle to work on positive compensation at 1k on switchy wind days.
You wouldn’t do it with a .22 at 200 either.
You wouldn’t do it with a .22 at 200 either.
I shoot CCI Clean 22 Subsonic in my suppressed MPA-22BA, and it's accurate and consistent out to 200 yards. My Hawke 4-16 has a BDU reticle that's spot on for this ammo velocity. I can actually shoot accurately to 300 yards, but that isn't etched in the scope so some extrapolation is required. One of these days I'll chrono and do the ballistics on it, and use a Kestrel and the turrets to see just how far it will shoot.
Not to mention, on windy days, you just look at the vertical. If the bullet BC is inconsistent due to imperfections, It will show up in the vertical.
So, when performing ammo evaluation in wind, you keep the same POA and ignore your lateral when looking at group size.
Time for a snarky remark. 
Rusty, you and I have different definitions of accuracy.
The combination of CCI 22lr and extended range shooting,
well, that's not what I'd offer as an example of consistent accuracy.
It's fun, but the mv spread and cartridge quality just don't get it done for me.
Still, it does keep every shot a surprise.
Like I keep saying, it's the rimfire lottery.
Some get sold the decent stuff, some don't.
Rusty, you and I have different definitions of accuracy.
The combination of CCI 22lr and extended range shooting,
well, that's not what I'd offer as an example of consistent accuracy.
It's fun, but the mv spread and cartridge quality just don't get it done for me.
Still, it does keep every shot a surprise.
Like I keep saying, it's the rimfire lottery.
Some get sold the decent stuff, some don't.
When I shoot at 200, I shoot adjusting my point of aim to him the center of the target, so I get the highest score on the rings, and also the highest score for group size. I shoot a monthly postal match, and we score both rings and group size for the match. So we try to pick a low wind day, and have at it!
Since the wind has such impact on the round, I don't do ammo testing at 200 yards. I do that at 50 and 100, then shoot the best ammo when I move over to the 200 yard line.
It's great fun to see how well you can do in the match!
